The Undertaker has opened up about the exact moment he realised his legendary in-ring career had come to an end.
Speaking on his Six Feet Under podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer reflected on the filming of the Boneyard Match against AJ Styles for WrestleMania 36, explaining that the realisation came during the early hours of the shoot.
“I think I retired when I was 55,” he said. “Those last few years for me were like a struggle. I was so envious of Shawn when he retired, seeing the peace that he was in. My mind’s eye had envisioned that match that I want to go out on, a five-star match, hang my six shooters up on the mantle and say, ‘Follow that, I’m done.’”
However, The Undertaker admitted he had not been fully honest with himself about the toll injuries had taken on his body.
“I don’t think I was really honest with myself, knowing with the injuries and everything else that was going on that I wasn’t going to be able to do that,” he said.
When Did The Undertaker Know His Career Was Over?
The Undertaker explained that the moment of clarity about the end of his career came during the overnight shoot for the cinematic match.
“I think it’s probably three or four in the morning and we’re still shooting, and it hit me,” he said. “It was like, ‘Dude, you’re done.’ I still had another hour and a half of filming to do, but I knew when I walked off that set, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m done.’”
